House at the End of the Street (2012)

House at the End of the Street (2012) (see below for trailer and preview images)

Directed by Mark Tonderai
Written by David Loucka (screenplay), Jonathan Mostow (story)
 
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue, Max Thieriot
 
IMDb 5.6/10                Rotten Tomatoes 11%            Metacritic 31/100

Once again it seems I am in disagreement with the almighty critics.  I now believe they just don’t like horror and also expect too much from the genre.  It’s as if they miss the whole purpose behind horror and slasher flicks.  But, I’m getting off track.
 
I watched this movie the other day and, after looking up the review scores, I’m surprised it got such a low rating across the board.  Now, I’m not saying that this movie should win any awards or anything (which it actually did, I looked it up) but, I do think that it was a good flick.
 
A newly divorced mother, Sarah, moves into a new house with her daughter.  The house next door is the subject of almost ALL the neighborhood gossip as a double murder happened there some time ago.  Against her mother’s wishes, Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) becomes friends with the young man who lives next door.  Sarah (Elizabeth Shue) tries to forbid her daughter from this boy but, it does no good. They soon find out that the gossiping neighbors don’t even know the half of what is going on in that creepy house of horror at the end of the street.
 
Now, how can that be an 11%? 
 
Personally, yes, I can agree that a lot of the movie is predictable.  But, not all of it.  And that is what I thought made it good.  It’s a quick paced movie.  It’s only about 1h45m.  And it IS suspenseful.  Even if you know what is coming, it still works.  
 
Now, you guys know me and know that, in cases like this, I’m not going to say much about the movie plot as not to give anything away.  BUT, I will say that the acting is actually good and there’s no corniness in the movie. It not a gory flick or very violent, there’s no blood really and there’s no REAL kill scenes.  It’s a psychological thriller.  And it does tickle the brain a bit.
 
I’ve been watching Elizabeth Shue from The Karate Kid in ’84 to her role on CSI in around 2015.  It’s not that she’s a phenomenal actress but she IS good.  I liked her on CSI.  Adventures in Babysitting was a favorite movie of mine as a kid.  And I have to be honest, I didn’t really know who Jennifer Lawrence was until I saw this movie.  She’s a different generation of Hollywood than I am used to.  But she was good too.
 
I liked that the film moved quickly and didn’t just follow a straight line.  There were curves and corners that you don’t always see coming or see around.  
 
I do think this is beyond worth watching.  It’s a movie I’ll not only watch again but, I would have paid to see this one in the theater. I think almost any fan of thrillers and particularly psychological thrillers, would get a kick out of this movie. I feel it was well written and well made.  So, I hope you guys check it out.
 
RATINGS
3.5/5 Stars